Market positioning, defining a target audience, developing a compelling brand identity, and leveraging digital platforms for promotion and sales.

Instructor: Richard Sellers, SCORE

This is the third class in our Entrepreneurship program. 
Registration opens March 4, if space is available.

Register for the entire program at https://innovationcentersaratoga.org/entrepreneur

Thank you to NBT Bank and Phillips Lytle LLP for their sponsorship of this program.

Follow up last month’s lunch & learn on making your first hire with this month’s presentation on how to actually onboard your hire! Debra Best, founder of Deb Best Practices – HR 911/411, will discuss the ins and outs of what founders need to consider from an HR perspective. Unlike a large corporation, most startups don’t have a dedicated HR employee, much less a team. Attend this session to avoid many of the common (and sometimes costly) headaches that arise from simply not knowing what you need to know! With over 35 years of experience, Deb has plenty of cautionary tales to share.  

Takeaways:  

• The basics of “People Ops” and having an infrastructure in place 

• Administrative details for legal compliance 

• Understanding the uniqueness of the NYS regulatory environment 

• Overall “Best Practices”  

About the Speaker 

Deb Best, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Owner and Principal of Deb Best Practices, has more than 35 years of state-wide and national business, recruitment / IT recruitment, change management, stakeholder communications and senior human resources / people operations leadership experience for Fortune 5, technology, healthcare, manufacturing, consumer and supply-chain publicly and privately held companies, including General Electric, Trans World Entertainment and Boston Scientific, as well as non-profit, statewide and national associations, academic, medical and public-sector organizations, including the State of New York. Central to her work as an HR Practitioner is to partner with leaders at all levels to define and leverage both talent and challenges to meet needs, which in turn maximizes success for both the organization and the individual.  

A graduate of The University of New York at Albany with a B.A. in English, Deb received her SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) certification from The Society of Human Resources Management in 1998, and her SHRM-SCP (Senior Certified Professional) designation in 2015. She is also a trained community (NYS) and workplace dispute Mediator, as well as an authorized Everything DiSC® Partner. Deb was a long-time columnist and blogger for the Albany Times Union’s Women@Work Magazine. 

The Québec–New York Transportation Rendezvous & B2B returns to Plattsburgh for a full day of networking, business matchmaking, and industry insights. This in-person event brings together manufacturers and service providers from the ground transportation and aerospace sectors to connect with potential customers, suppliers, and resources across the Québec–New York corridor.

Attendees will gain access to a dedicated B2B matchmaking platform hosted by B2B/2GO, along with keynote presentations, panels, and breakout sessions focused on timely industry topics. In 2024, the event attracted nearly 220 participants who engaged in almost 200 B2B meetings.

How does your business create, deliver, and capture value–whether you are a for-profit or a non-profit? It’s the core mechanism that makes your business work. Develop a plan that details how you will do it, including strategies, timelines, and financial projections.

Instructor: Richard Sellers, SCORE

This is the second class in our Entrepreneurship program. 
Registration opens February 25, if space is available.

Register for the entire program at https://innovationcentersaratoga.org/entrepreneur

Thank you to NBT Bank and Phillips Lytle LLP for their sponsorship of this program.

Registration Now Open!

 Upstate Capital’s convening of investors, fund managers, founders, and regional leaders is focused on how Upstate New York attracts, deploys,  and scales early- and later-stage capital.

The Impact Exchange will bring together public and private capital leaders from across New York State for an afternoon of timely conversation, practical insight, and high-impact networking designed to strengthen the regional investment ecosystem and drive real deal flow.


Program highlights include:


• Building early-stage and emerging fund pipelines

• Scaling place-based and emerging managers

• Insights into New York’s institutional investment model

• High-value networking with investors and ecosystem leaders

• Event concludes with an evening networking reception.

With electricity costs rising and grid reliability margins shrinking, the decisions being made this year on the State’s energy strategy will shape New York's path for decades to come. At this February membership meeting, we will discuss our plans for 2026, share progress across our five strategic initiatives, and explore how members can help ensure that cost-effective energy storage solutions are central to New York's grid modernization plans.

Please note: this is a members-only event. Click through for planned agenda.

Lunch & Learn: Hiring Your First Employee (Fractional or Full-Time) 

Hiring your first employee is one of the most critical decisions a founder will make. The right hire can accelerate growth and free up founder time; the wrong one can create drag, burn cash, and introduce avoidable risk. 

In this Lunch & Learn, Chris Wessell will share a practical, recruiting-focused framework for making your first hire. Defining the role, choosing between fractional vs. full-time, and effectively finding, attracting, and interviewing early employees in a startup environment. The session is intentionally focused on recruiting and selection; onboarding and an HR "starter kit" will be addressed in a follow-up session. 

• Knowing who to hire first and why 

• Fractional vs Full-Time 

• Practical Recruiting and Interview Framework 

This session is ideal for founders who are at or approaching the point of making their first hire and want to get it right the first time. 

About the Speaker 

Chris Wessell is the Managing Partner of PeopleWise, a boutique executive search and advisory firm that helps small and growing organizations solve high-stakes hiring challenges, often filling first-of-their-kind roles. A University at Albany alum ('02, MBA '04) and current adjunct business instructor, Chris has spent his 20+ year career working with founders and leadership teams as they scale, including hiring early employees in startup and growth-stage environments. He is actively involved in the Capital Region startup ecosystem and regularly advises founders on role definition, recruiting strategy, and candidate evaluation.  

Right to Start’s New York Starters Coalition and WorkSmart Coworking and Meeting Space will be hosting “From Solo to Scalable: Growing Beyond the Owner-Operated Stage”.

The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited so RSVPs are required. Breakfast and coffee will be served.

Session Overview:

Many small business owners reach a point where passion and skill have built a strong foundation, but time, capacity, and bandwidth limit growth. This event is a practical session for entrepreneurs ready to transition from doing it all themselves to building a resilient, people-centered business that can thrive (and even operate) without them.

Participants will hear from local business owners who’ve made the leap, gain insights on hiring and outsourcing, and leave with actionable tools to take their next step toward sustainable growth and long-term value creation.

Every great company starts as an idea, but not every idea becomes a company. Especially those from academic institutions.

This event is built for academic researchers and founders to understand what “venture readiness” really means and how to translate discoveries into startups that investors take seriously.

EI Consulting is partnering with various innovation resources and ecosystem leaders across the Capital Region and broader NY to discuss:
🔹 How to move from research to commercialization
🔹 What it takes to become fundable
🔹 Lessons from founders who’ve done it
🔹 The resources that can help you take the next step

This won’t be just another panel, this will be a real ecosystem-driven conversation about how we can turn student/researcher ideas into impact with opportunities to meet the folks who help make it happen.

A cap table (capitalization table) is a foundational tool for any startup, especially those emerging from university research environments. This short session introduces participants to the core concepts behind cap tables, including how ownership is structured, how equity evolves as a company grows, and why early clarity prevents future conflict. Attendees will gain a practical understanding of how cap tables support decision-making, funding readiness, and long-term company health. 

Since many UAlbany researchers and inventors are entering commercialization for the first time, this session also explains why cap tables matter in academic spinouts, where multiple contributors, intellectual property, and university obligations can complicate ownership. Participants will learn the importance of designing a cap table that supports future investment, rewards contributors fairly, and aligns with the expectations of the innovation ecosystem. 

Attendee Takeaways Will Include: 

• How to divide equity 

• What “dead equity” means in academia 

• What investors look for in a cap table 

• Why an employee equity pool is important 

• Why to focus on the future, not the past 

• Why cap tables are required for UAlbany researchers/inventors 

Speaker: Brett Orzechowski, Assistant Director, Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, and Industry Partnerships, University at Albany

Part II: Tax-Savvy Founder moves for Maximizing Equity & Minimizing Liability

As founders and small business owners look ahead to 2026, smart tax planning is more important than ever. The recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill has reshaped key regulations that directly impact startups and growing companies. In this two-part virtual series, CPA experts from Aprio will break down what’s changed and share practical, actionable insights for both business and personal tax planning to help you make the most of year-end opportunities.

(Register for Part 1 of this series)

Join us for a Startup Tech Valley Holiday Happy Hour to connect with the Capital Region entrepreneurship community. Calling all entrepreneurs, business leaders, students, and anyone who supports entrepreneurship! This event is the perfect chance to:

• Unwind with refreshing beverages and delicious bites

• Network with like-minded professionals and potential collaborators

• Engage with the Startup Tech Valley community

Open Mic

Attendees will have the opportunity to take the mic and give their elevator pitch at this event. Polish up your pitches and get ready for your 60 seconds of fame!

Toys for Tots

We have partnered with Toys for Tots to collect toys for children this holiday season. Since 1947, Toys for Tots has distributed 708 million toys to 314 million children. Bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate at the Happy Hour!

The Innovation Center at Saratoga will host its first annual Holiday Makers Market on Saturday, December 6, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, inviting the community to shop local, discover regional artists, and support neighbors in need—all under one roof.

The indoor market, held at the Innovation Center’s creative makerspace at 16 Old Stonebreak Road, Malta, will feature 27 juried local artisans and makers offering a wide variety of handcrafted gifts, including fiber arts, woodworking, jewelry, ceramics, holiday décor, take-and-make art kits, baked goods, and more. Specialty coffee drinks will be available from Saratoga Sundry.

“We’re thrilled to bring so many talented makers together in one space,” said Beth Moeller, President of the Board of Trustees of the Innovation Center at Saratoga. “The Holiday Makers Market is about more than shopping. It is about celebrating creativity, supporting our local artists and entrepreneurs, and building community during the holiday season.”

Throughout the day, visitors can enjoy live music while they explore the Innovation Center’s collaborative makerspace and learn more about its mission to support creators, entrepreneurs, and innovators in the region. The Innovation Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides shared equipment, studios, classes, and business support for artists and makers of all ages.

In the spirit of the season, admission to the Holiday Makers Market is a canned or boxed good—or hygiene item—donated to Lifeworks’ Food Programs. The Innovation Center will also be raffling off products donated by participating artisans to raise additional funds to support the continued growth of the makerspace and its community programming.

“We want this event to reflect what the Innovation Center is all about—creative energy, connection, and giving back,” added Moeller. “When you shop here, you’re not only finding one-of-a-kind gifts, you’re directly supporting local makers and helping us expand opportunities for learning, making, and collaborating in our region.”

The Holiday Makers Market offers:

· 27 local artisans with unique, handcrafted gifts

· Indoor, family-friendly market with a warm and welcoming atmosphere

· Live music from local musicians

· Specialty coffee drinks from Saratoga Sundry

· Plenty of free onsite parking

· Community impact, with admission supporting Lifeworks’ Food Programs and raffle proceeds benefiting the Innovation Center at Saratoga

Community members are encouraged to follow the Innovation Center at Saratoga on Facebook at https://facebook.com/InnovationCenterSaratoga for artist spotlights, vendor previews, and event updates leading up to the event.

Part I: Year-End Moves for Startup & Small Business Success

As founders and small business owners look ahead to 2026, smart tax planning is more important than ever. The recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill has reshaped key regulations that directly impact startups and growing companies. In this two-part virtual series, CPA experts from Aprio will break down what’s changed and share practical, actionable insights for both business and personal tax planning to help you make the most of year-end opportunities.

(Be sure to register for Part II: Tax-Savvy Founder moves for Maximizing Equity & Minimizing Liability)

Startup Tech Valley + Saratoga County

Startup Saratoga is a networking and pitch event for the entrepreneurship community in the Capital Region. Attendees include entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, mentors, students, employees of startups, service providers to startups, and anyone else who wants to be involved or is curious.

Startup Saratoga is brought to you by Startup Tech Valley and Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. The event will be hosted at Innovation Center Saratoga. The Innovation Center at Saratoga is a makerspace where artists, entrepreneurs, and community members come together to learn, create, and innovate. Active Ingredient Brewing Company will be providing food and a cash bar for the event.

What to Expect:

• Connect + Engage. Start with networking and then get introduced to startups through pitch sessions.

• No cost to attend, however RSVP is required

• 5:00p.m. Networking | 6:00p.m. Pitches | 7:00p.m. More Networking

Connect with Leaders at CEG’s Premier Event

Connect with Capital Region business and civic leaders for exclusive insights into economic development, emerging industry trends, and meaningful networking.

Build an AI Co-Founder: Practical AI Tools Every Founder Can Deploy in 30 Days

Chloe Capital has partnered with Microsoft to help founders explore how AI can power growth. Join Amit Svarzenberg, ​CTO at Microsoft for Startups and AI & Cloud Expert, for a live demo on how to build your own AI Co-Founder, an intelligent assistant that can automate customer engagement, marketing, and analytics.

💡 You’ll Learn:

• How to use AI agents to scale faster and reach customers efficiently

• How to use Microsoft Azure to build and deploy an AI agent

November Lunch & Learn:

Inventor or CEO? What to Know Before You Begin

Can an inventor be a successful CEO? We'll delve into these two roles and the importance of distinguishing them for the health of a startup. This interactive session is geared toward researchers who are considering the next steps of commercializing their inventions/intellectual property and would like to know more about the characteristics that separate the two before taking the journey. 

Event attendees will: 

• Begin to understand the key differences between these roles and where overlap exists 

• Learn about cap tables and why equity matters 

• Learn about the dynamic and potential conflicts of interest 

• Understand the differences between running a lab and running a business   

Lunch will be served.

2025 Winners: Eben Bayer ’07 and Gavin McIntyre ’07.

Innovation is a significant part of RPI's storied past. The William F. Glaser ’53 Rensselaer Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognizes successful entrepreneurs whose vision, commitment, and creativity exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit that is the past, present, and future of RPI.

Please join us in celebrating the 2025 Entrepreneur of the Year Award on Thursday November 6, 2025 @ 1 pm in RPI’s EMPAC Theater. Parking is available in the garage on College Avenue.

Awards ceremony, fireside chat with President Marty Schmidt, startup pitch competition, poster presentations, and networking.

Free and open to the public.

Held the day before the Innovation Summit, this meeting is for NYSTAR assets.

Learn from those who have been there, done that and came out the other side a little wiser about the startup journey! Our storytellers will share their scary moments as an entrepreneur and how they overcame their challenges. Have a story to share? Let us know on the registration form.

We’ll be hosted by The Innovation Center at Saratoga (no relation!) so come on up to Luther Forest in Malta. (You might even peep the fall foliage on your way in. 🍂)

Want to know why all startups should master the pivot?

Speaker Randy Stewart, who has run wildly successful startups, will share lessons learned from a $1 billion pivot. Come and talk to Randy and learn why the pivot is so important.

Where pigs can fly, there are no boundaries. Unleash your inner innovator.

Food and drinks served.

Day One: September 24, 2025 | Albany, NY | Half-Day Event + Happy Hour

​We are kicking off Climate Tech Week Upstate with an afternoon dedicated to innovation, investment, and collaboration, followed by a community happy hour.

​This half-day event will bring together founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders to spotlight the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of climate tech.

​Featured Speakers & Guests

• ​Dan Fitzgerald, Founder of Key Capture Energy

• ​Cullen Kasunic, Managing Partner, Solve: Resource and Energy Associates

• ​Bill Dailey, Standard Hydrogen Corp.

• ​Zack Pecenak, NY Ventures

• ​Bailey Burke, Hudson Valley Venture Hub

• ​Jack Nolan, Startup IQ

​Day Two: September 25, 2025 | New Climate Futures at Newlab (Brooklyn, NY)

​The morning after Albany, participants can hop on a highly subsidized round-trip bus ($36!) from Albany to Brooklyn to attend Newlab’s New Climate Futures event. This makes it easy for Upstate founders and partners to connect with the broader climate innovation ecosystem.

​

You’re invited to Shop Talk - a networking event at the Tech Valley Center of Gravity.

All the time, TVCOG hears some version of "I've looked in the windows, the COG looks really cool, but I have no idea what goes on in there." Here's a chance to find out!  

TVCOG is inviting a variety of local businesses & organizations for a behind-the-scenes look at the COG community, resources that might be of use, and how you can get involved.

Free coffee and breakfast snacks.

Startup Tech Valley’s first happy hour of the fall season!

How do you know there’s actually a market for your new product? Join this workshop to learn more about customer discovery tools for entrepreneurs developing physical products. We’ll cover market research basics, tips and tricks, and low-barrier prototyping tools to get you collecting data faster. You’ll also hear real-world examples from professional designers on how prototyping is used to determine final product specifications.

Tech Valley Center of Gravity is a makerspace & incubator that empowers makers to connect, collaborate, and create. Their fabrication shop is ideal for individuals and startups who need access to workspace and prototyping equipment in order to test new ideas and grow their business.

Dan Falkenstrom, Operations Director, has experience as a manufacturing engineer, and helps connect manufacturing startups with resources to overcome their roadblocks.

Ignite U, powered by NYSTEC, is a nonprofit dedicated to the sustainable development of New York by building specialized programming designed to support the economic and educational initiatives of New York State.

Diane Borghoff is a professional in assessing numerous early-stage products, services, processes, and techniques in various domains. Her career spans more than 15 years with expertise building business cases, marketing plans, mentoring Lean LaunchPad techniques and go-to-market strategies. These range from ideating creative, disruptive solutions and navigating intellectual property needs to shape their advancement into the marketplace.

Fun Stuff Design, led by Julian Goldman and Dierdre Shea, is a Troy-based industrial design studio. Their focus is on biomaterials and objects that endure, with experience in sustainable supply chain, product strategy, and product development.